Australia’s public health policies to manage the COVID-19 pandemic are estimated to have spared up to 50,000 lives up to December 2022, and vaccines probably saved three times as many again. Over two episodes we examine the efficacy and the social costs of various interventions, starting with border closures and vaccines.

A 62‐year-old man is undergoing a CT‐guided core biopsy of a lung nodule when he develops an iatrogenic pneumothorax. After admission he has ongoing dyspnoea, oxygen desaturation, and chest pain and treatment for these doesn’t immediately go to plan.

MSF has projects in more than 70 countries that affected by natural disasters, armed conflict or disease outbreaks. We hear from two physicians about what it’s like to be involved with the organisation and how to fit assignments in with a career path back home.

A 75 year-old man with severe aortic stenosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is deemed unsuitable for surgery because of a porcelain aorta. Additional complications force an experimental two-in-one procedure.

A round trip to Mars will take two years or more in that time weight-bearing bones can become severely demineralized. Prolonged exposure to microgravity also has profound effects on the circulation and nervous system. How will astronauts safely explore the solar system and manage medical emergencies that may arise?

By the early 2030s, NASA will be building a permanent base on the moon, and Elon Musk reckons he’ll be sending people to Mars. Among the many risks of prolonged space-travel are exposure to cosmic radiation and the many effects of microgravity on the body.

A 72-year-old presents to an Adelaide emergency department with bilateral eye pain lasting several days. Anterior uveitis is identified as the proximal cause but there are many possible aetiologies given her complex medical history.

Australia has approved a two amyloid-targeting therapies for incipient Alzheimer’s dementia but both remain unfunded. We put the research outcomes into context and discuss the implications of the burdensome treatment regimen for the health system.

A 27-year-old male suffers a middle cerebral artery acute ischaemic stroke and his condition deteriorates in hospital. A mediastinal mass is discovered on review of his CT which gives a lead as to the distal cause.

There’s some variability in the way DKA is managed between Australian hospitals and the potential for added cognitive load on health practitioners moving between them. Is there enough evidence to settle on a consistent insulin infusion protocols?